The Federal Government has announced the procurement of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) amounting to N20 billion.
This investment aims to bolster the local production of assistive devices tailored to the needs of people with disabilities (PwDs) in Nigeria.
Dr. James Lalu, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), revealed this development in an interview with the newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.
The foreign direct investment
Lalu highlighted the imperative of attracting investors to spearhead the manufacturing of assistive devices domestically, citing the escalating costs associated with imported devices as a pressing concern.
He remarked, “Recently, we secured a foreign direct investment to the tune of N20 billion, and the organization is committed to commencing the local manufacturing of assistive devices as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been signed.”
“The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities is going forward to make sure that we provide this opportunity to Nigeria for the manufacturing of local assistive devices.”
“This is due to the fact that 99 per cent of our assistive devices are imported and the prices are higher and are now getting out of the reach of the poor.”
“Even, the budgetary allocation provided may not be able to provide assistive devices to the disability community across all states of the federation,” he said.
Highlighting the economic ramifications of fostering local production, Lalu emphasized the potential for job creation and heightened accessibility across the nation.
“With the local manufacturing of assistive devices, it will encourage state governments, local governments, and other government agencies to procure and distribute them to the disability communities,” he noted.
“The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities is working already in the area of local manufacturing of assistive devices for Persons with Disabilities.”
“These include, wheelchairs, hearing aids and other devices for the blind and the deaf as well as persons with albinism,” he said
What you should know
Lalu lauded indigenous innovation within the assistive technology landscape, citing an exemplary case from Kano where a visionary individual devised a groundbreaking digital eyeglass to aid the visually impaired.
- Eager to harness local talent and innovation, the NCPWD intends to collaborate with pertinent stakeholders such as the Bank of Industry and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to materialize inventive solutions within Nigeria.
- Lalu reaffirmed Nigeria’s potential as a hub of innovation and opportunity, asserting the commission’s commitment to leveraging these resources to propel the disability community into the technological forefront.
